BoJack Horseman is well-known for its hard-hitting narrative and relatable characters, packaged in a colorful comedy. Princess Carolyn is one of the show’s most vibrant characters, a determined agent with high-functioning depression and an incessant need to solve the problems of the people around her.
PC has had some poignant moments throughout the series. Though all of the characters have scenes that hit close to home, PC’s relatability is an understated unravel of a self-reflective mentality that parallels BoJack’s. Here are five times Princess Carolyn was the most understandable BoJack character and five times it was the horse himself.
Princess Carolyn: PC Turns 40
Season one’s “Say Anything” gives fans their first insight into the darker mentality behind PC’s colorful facade. Princess Carolyn’s world is shaken after her agency merges with a rival company, costing the career-driven cat multiple clients. After rekindling her relationship with BoJack, PC goes to great lengths to secure him a movie role before he abruptly dismisses her.
The scene in which Princess Carolyn realizes how much of her life she has dedicated to BoJack - as her phone announces that it is her fortieth birthday - is a sad examination of how much she has given to a one-sided relationship - with BoJack and with Hollywood.
BoJack: “Free Churro”
BoJack’s monologue at his mother’s funeral combines hilarity with hopelessness. His speech in which he finally berates his mother Beatrice (Wendie Malick) for the abuse he endured as a child is moving, as it symbolizes that he finally has an opportunity to tell her exactly how she feels - and he’s not even at the right funeral.
The conflicted emotions of grief and resentment play out perfectly throughout BoJack’s speech. Though he can’t forgive her for shaping him into the person he is now, he also can’t bring himself to be relieved at her passing, something which only confuses the horse.
Princess Carolyn: Escape From Reality
In season four’s “Ruthie,” fans learn what it is that gets through Princess Carolyn through tough times. The episode is told from the perspective of Ruthie, the great-great-great-granddaughter of PC who is proudly telling her classmates how her ancestor survived the “worst day of her life.”
The episode cuts to the present day, with Princess Carolyn’s life falling apart. She miscarries her child with Ralph (Raul Esparza) and breaks up with him after learning it is unlikely she will ever have children, as well as learning her treasured family heirloom is a fraud. Ruthie is revealed to be also fake, as PC tells BoJack she is merely a fantasy she tells herself to “feel better.”
BoJack: BoJack Checks Out Of Reality
Season five explores BoJack’s relationship with drugs after he becomes addicted to prescription medication following an accident on-set of his new show, Philbert. During “The Showstopper” the lines between reality and fantasy blur for BoJack, who becomes increasingly disconnected from reality as he struggles to separate his identity from that of Philbert.
BoJack excels with its portrayal of mental illness, and this rapid spiral out of control is a visual allegory of the chaos that has taken over BoJack’s life.
Princess Carolyn: PC And BoJack Get Closure
Fans were shown the tumultuous relationship between Princess Carolyn and BoJack in the first episode of season one, but this moment in “Best Thing That Ever Happened” finally gives the pair some closure.
After multiple attempts to fire Princess Carolyn during a restaurant dinner, BoJack eventually has to concede how often his ex-girlfriend fixes his problems after she salvages a chaotic evening. BoJack’s acknowledgment is the closure PC needs, as the two eventually come to terms with their place in each other’s lives.
BoJack: “You’re BoJack Horseman. There’s No Cure For That.”
BoJack has understandable issues. His relationship with his parents, particularly his mother Beatrice, was toxic and full of neglect, a sad look into how childhood abuse shapes a person’s psyche years into adulthood.
Her phone call to BoJack in season two’s “Brand New Couch” is a hurtful moment, as she informs BoJack that his “birthright” is never to be happy, as he was “born broken.” Considering BoJack’s earlier attempts to be happy during the episode, it is a sharp stab in the feels.
Princess Carolyn: Youthful Optimism
In “The Amelia Earhart Story,” fans learn more about Princess Carolyn’s childhood. The career-focused feline was one of many children to a neglectful mother, who repeatedly tries to hold her daughter back as well as berating her for miscarrying a child after falling pregnant by their wealthy employer’s son.
The episode features PC returning to North Carolina as she attempts to impress a potential birth mother. It highlights PC’s struggle with motherhood, as well as how much she is already depended upon by the people in her life.
BoJack: Is BoJack A Good Person?
Fans struggle to answer that question as, despite being sympathetic, BoJack has repeatedly done bad things that have hurt the people around him. During “Downer Ending,” a distraught BoJack asks Diane whilst she is live on-air if he is a good person. Diane says nothing and the episode ends in silence.
This highlights BoJack’s inability to recognize that his actions are what defines his character, and other people telling him he is good does not excuse his behavior.
Princess Carolyn: PC Becomes A Mom
The season five finale ends on a happy note for Princess Carolyn, who finally becomes a mother after Sadie (Jaime Pressly) gives birth. It is a heart-warming moment in an otherwise heavy episode, as she embraces her daughter and names her “untitled Princess Carolyn project.”
PC’s struggles are far from over, as she now has to juggle a demanding career and a dependent child. However, for now, it is a pleasant moment for fans to see PC so happy.
BoJack: BoJack Learns A Life Lesson
BoJack gets some quality advice in the season two finale. After taking up running in the final scene, a baboon jogger tells him “it gets easier… every day it gets a little easier… but you gotta do it every day, that’s the hard part. But it does get easier.”
The metaphorical moment is a sobering moment for BoJack, who replies with an accepting “okay.”
